Why camp matters

This blog will be (I think) be about non-profits, volunteerism, a 2nd act in my professional life, work / life balance, and my thoughts on why, more than ever, we need girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.

I joined the Girl Scouts of Northern California as CEO after 25 years with a major law firm (Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP), including almost 8 as the Managing Partner. I was a Girl Scout in the 1960s, my mom was our troop leader, and I went to Girl Scout camp the summers after 3rd and 4th grade. I followed a common path, and dropped out of Girl Scouts in middle school…a lot of us thought it was pretty dorky, even back in the 1960s. I had not thought much about Girl Scouts until 2004, when I was asked to participate in a new program called CampCEO,a 3 day summer camp program connecting teenage girls from underserved communities with nature, executive women, and each other. I saw Girl Scouts in a whole new light.

The Girl Scout mission is

to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.

That resonates with me. At the time of my first CampCEO, I was the Managing Partner of a large law firm, balancing home life with a husband and 3 kids, one of whom has Aspergers, and working with a lot of young women (and men) at my law firm who were struggling to find balance and who were discovering that earning top grades and doing well on standardized tests, does not necessarily equip you with the courage, confidence and character required to navigate the hurdles life throws in your way.

At CampCEO, I thought back to my own experiences at Girl Scout camp, being away from home for two weeks, learning to build a fire, going on my first back packing trip, sleeping under the stars, connecting with the camp counselors. .. I realized that even though I hadn’t thought about Girl Scouts for over 35 years, my experiences in Girl Scouting had helped shape me.

Impressed by the power of Girl Scouts to serve as a constant for girls whose lives were otherwise in turmoil,I continued to volunteer at CampCEO. During the summer of 2007 CampCEO Girl Scout staff and Board members were talking about a merger of 5 Northern California Girl Scout Councils, set to take in less than 2 months on October 1, 2007, as part of a national realignment of Girl Scout Councils, and the fact that they had not yet found a new CEO.

Maybe it was because there was no cell phone coverage in the mountains, my Blackberry was silent, I had climbed the adventure tower, the air was clear. . .In any event, November 1, 2007, I began a new career as CEO of Girl Scouts of Northern California. A rather dramatic switch, but as my then 15 year old daughter remarked when I told her that I was considering leaving my law firm partnership to run the Girl Scouts: “Mom, that is the most random thing I can imagine you ever saying to me; but, at the same time, it’s totally perfect.”